Southern flying squirrel
| Southern flying squirrel | ||||||||||||
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Southern flying squirrel ( Glaucomys volans ) |
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| Systematics | ||||||||||||
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| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Glaucomys volans | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Southern Flying Squirrel ( Glaucomys volans ) is a rodent art from the family of squirrel (Sciuridae).
features
The animal is 25 centimeters long, with about 10 centimeters being accounted for by the long bushy tail. On both sides of the body, between the front and rear legs, it has a stretchable fold of skin called a patagium. The back, the outer side of the fore and rear limbs, the upper part of the head and tail are brownish in color. The belly, the lower part of the head, the inside of the ears are colored white. Since the animal is nocturnal, it has very large eyes on its head.
distribution
The species area of the southern flying squirrel extends from the southern Atlantic coast of Canada to the Great Lakes south across the eastern half of the United States to the Gulf coast . In Central America , it spreads across the Cordilleras to Honduras . The occurrences follow the distribution of mixed forests in temperate and sub-temperate climates . In the north, the occurrence is mainly limited by the replacement of this vegetation by the boreal coniferous forest . The distribution limit largely coincides with the border between Canada and the USA, only in southern Québec does the southern flying squirrel reach Canada over a larger area. To the west, low precipitation limits the temperate mixed forest and instead favors the Great Plains , the distribution limit here roughly follows the 40- and 50-mm annual isohyets . Due to the regular rainfall and the extensive mixed forests, there are no major gaps in distribution towards the Atlantic coast. In the south, the Gulf Coast limits the distribution area, here the species is only absent on the southwestern tip of Florida .
The island-like Central American deposits extend along the moist western and eastern slopes of the Cordilleras, but have not been well explored. In the Sierra Madre Occidental between Chihuahua and Sonora , a population is suspected that is summarized in the subspecies G. volans madrensis . Its status is uncertain because it has only been documented on the basis of two specimens from the 1920s. In the Sierra Madre Oriental an occurrence extends from southern Tamaulipas to central Veracruz , which is divided into the subspecies G. v. Herreranus is asked. Possibly it extends over the oak forests of the Sierra Volcánica Transversal to Michoacán , from where a single sighting has been made.
Way of life
In the event of imminent danger, the animal jumps off branches and, thanks to its folds of skin, falls to the ground like a paraglider, allowing distances of 20 to 50 meters to be covered. Once on the ground, it quickly looks for the next tree to get back into the treetops, as it can only move very awkwardly on the ground. It sleeps the day in tree hollows. When dusk falls, it hunts for insects, but neither does it spurn bird eggs, nuts, acorns and other forest fruits that it finds. Its natural enemies are mainly owls and martens. For the winter it builds up larger supplies, which it buries under trees. In winter, the animals, which otherwise live as solitary animals, come together in small groups of up to 15 animals to warm each other.This reduces the energy requirement of an individual animal by approx. 30%, and it also reduces the risk of being surprised by possible predators .
Reproduction
The female gives birth to three to six young twice a year after a gestation period of one month.
Hazards and protective measures
Although the habitat of the species is locally destroyed by tree felling, it is still relatively widespread and can also be found in protected areas. The IUCN lists them as not at risk ( least concern ).
Web links
- Glaucomys volans in the endangered Red List species the IUCN 2008. Posted by: Linzey, AV & NatureServe (Hammerson, G.), 2008. Accessed December 20, 2013.
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literature
- Patricia G. Dolan, Dilford C. Carter: Glaucomys volans . In: Mammalian Species . tape 78 , 1977, pp. 1–6 ( full text [PDF]).
- Nicholas J. Kerhoulas, Brian S. Arbogast: Molecular systematics and Pleistocene biogeography of Mesoamerican flying squirrels . In: Journal of Mammalogy . tape 91 , no. 3 , 2010, p. 654-667 , doi : 10.1644 / 09-mamm-a-260.1 .
- Carl von Linné: Systema naturæ per regna tria naturæ, secundum classes, ordines, genera, species, cum characteribus, differentiis, synonymis, locis. . Lars Salvi, Stockholm 1758 ( full text [PDF]).